Spinel oxides growing on Fe-Cr alloy particles during plasma spraying

Oxidation reactions during plasma spraying of metallic powders give rise to oxide crusts on powder particle surfaces. The first oxidation stage occurs in flight of molten particles. It is usually followed by the second stage after hitting a substrate. To investigate the oxidation products immediatel y after the first stage, abrupt stopping of in-flight oxidation is possible by trapping and quenching the flying particles in liquid nitrogen. In oxid e crusts on plasma sprayed and liquid nitrogen quenched particles of a Fe-1 2%Cr alloy, two spinel oxides were indicated by Mossbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Both are solid solutions of the type Fe3O4 - Cr3O4 (i.e. , Fe3-xCrxO4, 0 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 3). One of th e oxides, tetragonally distorted spinel, is characterized by the mean value of x approximate to 2.3. It is only stable at very high temperatures. The other spinel oxide is cubic with x slightly lower than 2, i.e. almost stoic hiometric chromite FeCr2O4. From thermodynamic considerations it follows th at in the Fe3O4 - Cr3O4 system there is no miscibility gap at high temperat ures. The simultaneous existence of both oxides is probably due to non-equi librium conditions during liquid nitrogen quenching of trapped particles.